What is Scurvy? Symptoms and Treatment

by Abbas Jahangir · June 22, 2024

Scurvy is defined as a severe vitamin C deficiency. Vitamin C, or ascorbic acid, is an essential nutrient. It plays a role in the development and function of various body structures and their related processes. These functions include ensuring the proper formation of collagen, a protein that can give structure and stability to the body’s connective tissues, the metabolization of cholesterol and protein and the absorption of iron, having an antioxidant effect, repairing wounds and producing neurotransmitters such as dopamine and epinephrine.

What is Scurvy?

If you don’t get enough vitamin C from what you eat or drink, it’s natural to experience vitamin C deficiency. In addition, if you have a health problem that prevents you from getting vitamin C from foods, it is possible that you may experience vitamin C deficiency. For example, smoking reduces the body’s ability to absorb vitamin C. Some chronic diseases also hinder the absorption of vitamin C. Cancer or kidney diseases increase your chances of suffering from vitamin C deficiency.

What are the symptoms of scurvy?

Vitamin C has many different functions in the body, and in case of deficiency of this vitamin, the body shows some symptoms. Typically, symptoms of scurvy begin after at least four weeks of severe and sustained vitamin C deprivation. However, it often takes three months or more for symptoms to appear.

Early symptoms are as follows:

weight loss
feeling of exhaustion
loss of appetite
state of being angry
pain in legs
low body temperature

The symptoms that appear after 1-3 months can be listed as follows:

anemia caused by a lack of blood cells in the blood
Soft and sensitive gums that bleed easily, dental inflammation and tooth decay
bleeding on the skin
Bruises and blisters on the hair follicles
reddish-blue bruises that usually appear on the legs and feet
swollen and tender joints
shortness of breath and feeling of pain in the chest
dryness and irritation of the eyes
slowing down the healing process of wounds
weakening of the immune system
hypersensitivity to light
decreased ability to see clearly
sudden changes in mood, being generally irritable and depressed
bleeding from digestive system organs

If left untreated, scurvy can cause life-threatening conditions and serious complications can develop. Severe jaundice of the skin and eyes may occur. Hemolysis, in which blood cells begin to break down, may occur. Tooth loss may occur. Numbness and pain may occur in the hands and feet. On top of that, it can result in organ failure, coma and death.

Risk Factors and Causes

Unfortunately, your body cannot produce vitamin C on its own. This means you should get all the vitamin C you need from the food or drink you consume. You can also take vitamin C as a supplement by consulting your doctor.

When we look at the general population with scurvy, we see that these people do not have easy access to fresh fruits and vegetables or do not eat a healthy diet. Scurvy affects many people in the developing world. Recent public health research indicates that scurvy was once much more common in developed countries than is currently thought. The risk of this disease has increased, especially in certain segments of the population.

Risk factors for scurvy can be listed as follows:

Being a child or over the age of 65
excessive daily alcohol consumption
Use of harmful and wrong substances such as drugs
restrictive eating pattern
low income and difficult access to nutritious food
certain eating disorders or psychiatric conditions
injuries
Some known diseases of the digestive system (Crohn’s disease, irritable bowel syndrome, etc.)
weak immunity
living in a place where almost the entire cultural diet is based on carbohydrates such as bread, pasta, and corn
chronic diarrhea
body dehydration
to smoke
chemotherapy and radiation therapy
dialysis and kidney failure

How is Scurvy Treated?

If you suspect scurvy, when you go to the doctor you will first be asked about your nutritional history. Symptoms of the disease are checked and a blood test is ordered. The blood test checks and monitors the levels of vitamin C in your blood serum. Although the symptoms may be severe, there is no need for great concern. Because the treatment of scurvy is possible and quite easy. It will be very beneficial to pay attention to your nutrition and put an end to your harmful habits.

Vitamin C is found naturally in many fruits and vegetables and is an important component for the body. This vitamin can also be taken into the body by adding it to fruit juices, cereals and snacks. One of the easiest ways to prevent scurvy is to pay attention to the amount of fresh fruits and vegetables you consume in your diet.

Oral vitamin C supplements are also widely available and are included in most multivitamins. If you have made changes to your diet for a few days and the symptoms still persist, talk to your doctor and inform them about the situation.

For advanced cases of scurvy, a doctor may recommend taking high doses of vitamin C supplements over a period of several weeks to several months. There is no clear consensus on the dosage that should be taken for patients with severe scurvy. In these cases, the doctor determines the appropriate doses and the duration of taking these doses, depending on the patient’s condition.

Most patients manage to recover from scurvy in a relatively short time after starting treatment. Some symptoms usually improve on the first or second day of treatment. Pain, feeling of fatigue, confusion and mood swings improve. Symptoms such as weakness, bleeding, bruising and jaundice may disappear in a few weeks.

What are the Sources of Vitamin C?

Citrus fruits such as oranges and lemons are traditional fruits used to prevent and treat scurvy. Some other fruits and vegetables, like citrus fruits, contain high amounts of vitamin C, and thanks to their rich vitamin C content, they play an important role in the fight against diseases. Additionally, many foods such as fruit juices and cereals contain vitamin C.

Vitamin C is water soluble. Cooking methods, canning and long-term storage significantly reduce the vitamin content of foods. It would be most beneficial to consume foods rich in vitamin C raw or as little exposed to heat as possible. Foods rich in vitamin C include broccoli, strawberries, green peppers and tomatoes.

Most adults’ daily vitamin C needs are between 75 and 90 milligrams. Pregnant and breastfeeding women may need more daily vitamins.

Scurvy in Babies

Babies with scurvy are restless and difficult to soothe, causing panic in parents. The bones of babies suffering from this disease are weak, brittle and prone to bleeding.

Risk factors for scurvy in babies can be listed as follows:

malnutrition of mothers
feeding the baby with boiled milk
Feeding the baby on a restrictive diet
the baby has digestive or absorption problems

The answer to the question of what scurvy means can be given as a disease caused by chronic vitamin C deficiency, as explained above. It is a condition that most often develops in people who eat a poor and unbalanced diet. However, it can be treated simply with dietary changes or the use of supplements. Left untreated, chronic scurvy can lead to serious health problems. It is known that a regular and balanced diet is one of the golden rules of a healthy life. Scurvy disease is also closely related to eating habits. Do not exclude fresh vegetables and fruits from your diet. When you show symptoms of scurvy, be sure to consult your doctor and get tested.